Way to go: Annalise Mozer, Huntington

Annalise Mozer is a diva and she's proud of it.

Mozer, an eighth-grader at J. Taylor Finley Middle School in Huntington, has helped to raise more than $5,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation through Diabetes Divas, a student group she started last school year that aims to raise awareness about the disease.

To raise funds, the 11 divas have collected donations and sold about 150 bracelets with the slogan: "2 Sweet 4 Sugar."

"I was diagnosed two years ago, and no one was spreading awareness or raising money, so I decided to do it," said Mozer, 13.

Some believe certain "myths" about the disease, she said. "Some people think that we can't have candy or cakes," Mozer said. "But we can eat everything anyone else can; we just have to give ourselves insulin."

The divas also led a Diabetes Week during the 2010-11 school year that included daily announcements of facts about the disease over the school's loudspeaker.

For her efforts, Mozer was recently nominated for a 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Award and received a Town of Huntington proclamation.

"These students clearly demonstrate that one is never too young or old to make a difference," town councilwoman Glenda Jackson said.